Wolf Pack players recall their fondest memories of coach Chris Ault

The field at Mackay Stadium will be named after coach longtime Wolf Pack football coach Chris Ault at a pre-game ceremony prior to Nevada’s home opener against UC Davis on Saturday. We asked some of Ault’s former players to recall their favorite memories of the coach or the impact he had on their life.

* Cody Fajardo, who was Ault’s final starting quarterback at Nevada

“I don’t want to throw him under the bus, but one time during film he actually fell asleep with the fast-forward button on. This was last year and we were looking around, asking, ‘Should we wake him up?’ We decided to let it go and he dozes off and then wakes up and says, ‘Wow! We got through that one pretty fast.’ We were all, like, ‘Yeah, we did.’”

“My favorite memory of Coach Ault doesn’t actually involve Coach Ault. I worked with Randy Hart for one year at Notre Dame and then we were together for two at Stanford. Randy is one of these old, salty coaches and is about Coach Ault’s age. He’s been doing it forever. The first time we got together, I was the special teams coordinator at Notre Dame and he was the D-line coach. We were running a drill out at practice and we were coming off the field and he said, ‘You know what? You remind me of Chris Ault.’ I said, ‘Is that a compliment?’ He said, ‘Very much so.’ I’m sure it has to do a lot with our energy level and height. Those are the two obvious ones where we draw comparisons. But when Randy said that to me, I didn’t quite know who Coach Ault was, but I went back and looked at it and said, ‘That’s a pretty high compliment.’ That was my introduction to Coach Ault. I hope Coach doesn’t look at this like a derogatory term, but he said, ‘You remind me of the Little General.’ That was pretty high praise.”

* Fred Gatlin, a quarterback who played for Ault during the 1980s and 1990s

“I think it may have been my freshman or sophomore year. I was shooting hoops with a couple of fellas at the gym across from the field house. Coach Ault walked in and said, ‘Fellas let’s go. Two-on-two right now!’ We laughed to ourselves: ‘Coach Ault thinks he can play with us!’ The plan was, ‘Don’t hurt ’em, but make him feel it.’ Me and Coach Ault were on teams, so I said to myself, ‘I’m going to have to make all of the points.’ The first time he got the ball he did a little junk move and made a quick jumper. I said to myself, ‘What?’ We took the ball out and I passed it to him again. Nothing but net. ‘What the hell is going on?’ I said to myself. Coach was making buckets and dropping dimes all game. I was impressed. I didn’t realize how much of athlete he was. I got to see another side of him that day, joking and laughing but still competitive. I think we won by three or four buckets. After that day, I really saw him as different person and not just ‘The General,’ as we would call him. Not too his face, of course.”

* Kendall Brock, a junior running back for the Wolf Pack

“Being a second-generation player for Coach Ault – he coached my father at UNLV – I knew what to expect, but at the same time I had no idea how intense of a coach he was. He got after me a lot, but I knew it was because he wanted me to succeed. And off the field he was a good man, always asking me about life and he would even crack jokes. He is the only coach who believed I was scholarship worthy also believed I could play as a true freshman and for that I am eternally thankful.”

“Chris Ault was the only coach to take a chance on me and give me a Division I offer. I would probably be 3,000 miles away playing in the Ivy League and wouldn’t be sharing my experiences with my family without him.”

Chris Ault, shown in 2007, coached the Pack in parts of five different decades. (RGJ file)

* Dedric Holmes, a running back who played for Ault in the 1990s

“I can’t say I liked Ault much during my playing days because he never would accept anything other than your best and did not care if he hurt your feelings getting you to do your best. Chris did this with everyone, including his coaches. He played no favorites. As such, the lessons I have learned from him serve me well today. Chris was not afraid to lead. Chris Ault understands that sometimes leadership requires a line of one. He did this for years when the school administration or the fan base did not think we could compete in the Big West, or when the administration did not want to add on to the stadium. He led by working his butt off and not apologizing. Yes, some feelings were hurt along the way (including mine) and he will not go down as the most player-friendly coach but if there ever was a person who simply did more with far less Chris Ault is that person.”

* DeShone Myles, a former All-Big West linebacker at Nevada and future NFL player

“There are so many memories. I don’t know if there are many I can share with you. With Coach Ault, you learn to pay attention to detail. He was very meticulous. The lessons he taught you in your approach to playing football carry over to how you approach life. He always worked hard and he never quit. I like the way he approached the game. He had some rules for his coaches. They couldn’t put their hands in their pockets during games. The coaches asked, ‘Why can’t we?’ He said, “If my players can’t put their hands in their pockets, you’re not doing it.’ He kept us all on the same level playing field. He helped us all to the same high standard. It really helped the cohesion of the team.”

* Joel Bitonio, a senior offensive lineman at Nevada

“(My favorite memory) is probably any time we beat UNLV. The emotion he had after those wins, especially last year when we came back from being behind. Just the emotion he had from those wins, how much it meant to him. In the locker room after the game, celebrating with him is just unbelievable memories.”

* John Bender, a former All-WAC offensive lineman for Nevada

“CA has impacted my life in a positive way without question. He gave me the opportunity to play Division I football. He took a flyer on a ‘project,’ as he called me, from Canada because he liked that I played nasty on film. I sent the same film to probably 50 Division I schools and most of them didn’t even call me. Without a scholarship, I don’t know where I would have ended up, or if I would have even pursued an education. My job is as a financial advisor now and they have a ton of career building exercises and presentations for us to try and help us grow as businessmen and entrepreneurs, to achieve new standards of excellence. There is nothing I haven’t heard before that is being said at these meetings. I’m sure a lot of Coach Ault’s formers player can attest that they were well ahead of the curve after having gone through the Nevada football program.”

Former Wolf Pack football coach Chris Ault will have the field at Mackay Stadium named in his honor Saturday. (RGJ file)

* Jordan Dobrich, the Wolf Pack’s starting middle linebacker

“When I first came here, I didn’t know too much about Coach Ault. I’ve learned a lot about him. He’s a great man of character. I’ve learned a lot about the blue-collar aspects of football and how he kind of ran the team and approached football. I really respect him for that.”

* Matt Galas, a junior center for the Wolf Pack

“Coach Ault was a tough guy to play for. He was a hell of a coach. He was tough. He was real brutal. The thing I respected the most about Coach Ault was he was honest, he was tough and he cared. If he yelled at you or got down on you at all, you really felt it. If he was positive or happy for you, you really felt it. It was extremes in both senses. There would be times when I had a bad snap or something and he’s screaming and I just feel like I’m 3 inches tall. There are other times, like after the win against Cal, he pulls you aside and that’s cool to hear. It was a big deal. It’s real extremes when you come to Coach Ault, and I respect that about him.”

* Tony Amantia, who played for Nevada in the 1990s before coaching at Damonte Ranch

“I always thought I was a hard worker. I believed that was what got me a scholarship to Nevada, but when I arrived I was shown I had another gear. Coach was not about winning a popularity contest with a bunch of kids. He was teaching you how to get things done, which is not always popular with young people. I’ve pretty much had the same attitude as a high school coach, which I believed has helped a lot of boys down the road. I learned how to keep working when things were tough both physically and mentally, a skill that I use often with life. I bought in a long time ago to the Nevada way and still use the basic principles today.”